ERIC ED380948: A Curriculum Framework in Language Arts for High Ability Learners K-8.

69 Pages·1994·1.2 MB·English

by  ERIC

DOCUMENT RESUME
ED 380 948
EC 303 822
AUTHOR
Van Tassel-Baska, Joyce; And Others
TITLE
A Curriculum Framework in Language Arts for
High
Ability Learners K-8.
INSTITUTION
College of William and Mary, Williamsburg,
Va. School
of Education.; Washington-Warren-Hamilton-Essex
Counties Board of Cooperative Educational
Services,
Hudson Falls, NY. Southern Adirondack
Educational
Center.
SPONS AGENCY
Department of Education, Washington, DC.
PUB DATE
94
NOTE
69p.
AVAILABLE FROM
College of William & Mary, School of Education,
Center for Gifted Education, 232
Jamestown Rd.,
Williamsburg, VA 23185 ($10 plus 10%
shipping and
handling).
PUB TYPE
Guides
Non-Classroom Use (055)
Tests/Evaluation
Instruments (160)
Reference Materials -.
Bibliographies (131)
EDRS PRICE
MF01/PC03 Plus Postage.
DESCRIPTORS
*Curriculum Design; Elementary
Education; Evaluation
Methods; *Gifted; *Language Arts; Listening
Skills;
Multicultural Education; Reading
Instruction; Speech
Communication; Speech Skills; State Standards;
*Student Educational Objectives; *Student
Evaluation;
*Teaching Models; Technological
Advancement; Thinking
Skills; Writing Instruction
IDENTIFIERS
*Performance Based Evaluation
ABSTRACT
This curriculum framework provides
a model for
developing appropriate and meaningful
language arts curricula for
high ability learners in kindergarten
through grade 8.
It is intended
as a guide to making decisions about traditional curricular
emphases
within the language arts
areas of reading, writing, speaking, and
listening, as well as nontraditional
areas like thinking,
multiculturalism, and technology. The curriculum
development guide
discusses: issues in developing learner
outcomes; current language
arts learning objectives specified by
state guides; learner outcomes
in the concept, content, and
process dimensions; and
interdisciplinary applications through project
work. Four goals are
presented, each accompanied by learner outcomes
and archetypal
activities for high ability students in
language arts. The goals
include: to develop analytical and interpretative
skills in
literature, to develop persuasive writing
skills, to develop
linguistic competency, and to develop listening/oral
communication
skills. Several performance assessment
protocols for language arts
are provided. An annotated list of 37 exemplary
resources for
teaching language arts to high ability
learners concludes the guide.
(JDD)
OaPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Oft at Eclucanonm Rmarcn and Improvement
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION
CENTER (ERIC)
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Published by
MshingionSaratoga-WarrenHamiltonissex BOCES
Saratoga Srls, New York
The Center for Gifted Education
School of Education
College of William & Mary
1994
funded by the Jacob K. Javits
Program, United States Department of Education
2
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Published by
WashinglonSaraiogi'arrenHamillonEssex BOCES
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and
The Center for Gifted Education
School of Education
College of William & Mary
1994
3
funded by the Jacob K. Javits Program, United States Department of Education
About the Authors
Joyce VanTassel-Baska is the Smith Professor of Education and founding
director of the Center for Gifted Education in the School of Education at The
College of William & Mary. She is a teacher-scholar-administrator of national
eminence with twenty years of experience in gifted education.
Dana T. Johnson a former middle school teacher, serves the Center as a
curriculum consultant on various projects. She currently manages the
curriculum development component of the Developing Language Arts
Curriculum for High Ability Learners K-8 project.
Linda Neal Boyce a materials specialist, whose association with the Center
began as a co-coordinator of the Libraries Link Learning project, serves as a
materials specialist for the Developing Language Arts Curriculum for High
Ability Learners K-8 project.
Center for Gifted Education
232 Jamestown Road
Williamsburg, VA 23185
[phone]
W &M
FAX [phone]
Center for
Gifted
Education
4
C-
Table of Contents
Introduction
1
Issues in Developing Learner Outcomes
3
Analysis of Cufrent State Learning Objectives in Language Arts
5
The Process for Framework Development
6
Learner Outcomes: Concept Dimension
7
Learner Outcomes: Content Dimension
7
Learrnr Outcomes: Process Dimension
9
Interdisciplinary Applications
12
Goals, Learner Outcomes, and Archetypal Activities for High Ability Students
in Language Arts
1 6
Goal 41
1 7
Goal #2
2 3
Goal #3
2 7
Goal #4
3 6
Performance Assessment Protocols for Language Arts
4 2
Literature
4 2
Post-assessment for a 7th Grade Language Arts Unit
4 3
Criteria for Sc. )ring Goal #1 Assessment Items
4 4
Writing
45
Post-Assessment for Writing
4 6
Criteria for Scoring Writing Pre- and Post-Assessment Items
4 7
Persuasive Writing Assessment
4 8
Language Study
4 9
Vocabulary Assessment - Grade 5
5 0
Grammar Assessment - Grade 5
5 2
Listening/Oral Communication
5 4
Oral Communication Pre-Assessment
5 5
Criteria for Scoring Goal #4:
Listening/Oral Communication
5 6
Persuasive Speech Evaluation Form
5 7
Assessment of Thinking
5 8
Exemplary Resources for Teaching Language Arts to High Ability Learners
5 9
5
1
introduction
The purpose of this curriculum framework is to provide a model for developing
appropriate and
meaningful language arts curricula for high ability learners at K-8 levels.
It is intended as a
guide to making decisions about traditional curricular emphases within the
language arts areas
of reading, writing, speaking, and listening as well as non-traditional emphases
in areas like
thinking, multiculturalism, and technology.
The target audience of the guide is teachers,
administrators, and curriculum specialists who have responsibility for shaping
appropriate
curriculum experiences for these students in language arts.
Administrators, including curriculum specialk.ts, may find the framework useful
in shaping a
language arts curriculum that merges the requisites of the
new curriculum reform initiatives
with the components of a challenging language arts curriculum for high
ability learners.
The
emphasis in the framework on learner outcomes that
are interdisciplinary, that emphasize
higher level thinking, and that promote high standards in traditional
strands of the language arts
provides an important blueprint for school-based efforts in this
content area.
Teachers may find the framework useful in consulting the activities and
resources that focus on
the learner outcomes that are represented.
Sample activities and resources are included
as
archetypes for further development. The assessment activities in the
framework also provide
pre and post performance measures that may be used in the classroom.
D(LA#3)CF
2
that provides the
rationale and goal structure
Coherent curriculum evolves, from a strong
be defined. A
experiences for students might
standards within which high quclity learning
It defines the
for curriculum development.
curriculum framework provides such parameters
be appropriate for
assessment protocols judged to
philosophy, goals, learner outcomes, and
students at given levels of instruction.
their
restrictive
sometimes viewed as too
in
Curriculum frameworks, however, are
meaningful earning
freedom necessary to create
orientation, not allowing teachers the
described as only
Moreover, such models have been
experiences for their students.
In
performance.
ineffectiveness and poor student
accountability tools used to judge teacher
prevent the constructivist
students, such models have been seen to
programs for high ability
rather than have
students must make meaning for themselves
approach to learning, namely that
frameworks in high ability
Thus the development of specific
it imposed from the outside.
However, as we examine the
has not been common.
curriculum for high ability learners
curriculum, it
is
to content-based areas of the
importance of linking high ability education
curriculum frameworks in that process.
critical that we consider the role of
functions, each
this project serves several important
for
The curriculum framework developed
of which is reviewed briefly below.
generalizations to
from the broad "topics" papers and
The framework provides a linkage
1 )
strands of
provides a scaffolding for the four major
It
the technology of school curriculum.
of curriculum
engage meaningfully in the process
language arts that allow educators to
development around a set of valid ideas.
learners
represent differentiation for high ability
The framework also provides a way to
2)
for all
Currently, in most contexts, expectations
through the statement of learner outcomes.
and sophisticated
to show more advanced, complex,
learners are the same. This model attempts
also demonstrates
earlier stages of development. Yet it
outcomes for high ability learners at
for high ability
be made sophisticated and advanced
how a single set of outcomes for all can
learners.
learners, but remain constant for other
the key
for readers to get a snapshot view of
The framework model provides a way
3)
to
to each other. The model also provides a way
emphases of the project in direct relation
through the continuum of K-8 levels.
traverse the elements individually
the
importance of students' learning elements of
The framework further emphasizes the
4 )
with particular
opposed to merely being exposed to them,
language arts in an integrated way as
device to
the grade level clusters of 3, 6, and 8. As a
specified outcomes around that learning at
basis for developing an assessment protocol to measure
emphasize learning, it also provides the
designated grade levels.
the extent of the intended learning at
of
this curriculum framework also served as part
5)
In addition to these worthy purposes,
make the
the summer in order to enable teachers to
the teacher training effort during
in the unit development process. Thus it
connections and applications necessary to engage
about the
guiding unit topic selection, providing key ideas
served as the organizing structure for
to be
in each uoit, providing key thinking skill processes
concept of *change" to be taught
thinking, and
habits of mind, critical
literary
infusing technology, and using
taught,
unit.
metacognition in the delivery system for each
7
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issues in Developing Learner Outcomes
Fundamentally important to any curriculum development system, learner outcomes provide
the
framework within which specific curriculum work can proceed. These outcomes also provide
the basis for meaningful assessment of learning.
As we attempt to forge content-based
curriculum for high ability learners with general curriculum, a critical aspect of that
merger
concerns learner outcomes.
The following questions provide a basis for examining the
development of appropriate learner outcomes for high ability students:
What are learner outcomes?
1.
Learner outcomes specify certain behaviors we want
students to have at a particular point in their development. As such, they provide the basis for
creating worthwhile learning experiences, for setting appropriate expectations and for
assessing the extent of learning attained. We may want high ability third graders to be able to
prepare a science project using the scientific process of selecting a topic of interest, reading a
lot about the topic, designing an experiment to test a question of interest, completing the
experiment, and communicating the results through a poster and oral presentation. We
may
want high ability sixth graders to read three short stories by Tolstoy and analyze their literary
features. We may want high ability ninth graders to conduct a community survey
on a topic of
interest using basic statistics. These examples hopefully meet the important criteria for
a high
ability learner outcome. They each are 1) appropriately challenging for high ability students
at
the requisite stage of development, 2) they each are linked to a specific
area of study within the
regular school curriculum, 3) they each are substantive and worthy of substantial
instructional time and student independent time spent on ackliessing them, and 4) they each
can
be assessed through authentic approaches. These criteria form a useful basis
on which to judge
high ability learner outcomes.
2.
Why do we need to have learner outcomes for high ability students? There
are seveial
valid reasons that might be considered.
First of all, every :earner needs goals for learning and
indicators that she is making progress in the learning task.
Without a clear understanding of
what is to be learned and how one may know that learning is taking place, the learner loses
interest, motivation, and comes to see learning as a process devised by others that is trivial,
irrelevant, and a waste of time. Thus the first reason for stating learner outcomes is to respond
to learner needs for "making sense' of the learning tasks presented. A second
reason for
establishing high ability learner outcomes is to provide a clear differentiation of what high
ability students can learn within a given period of time.
Since the characteristics of high
ability learners imply their capacity to learn basic material twice
as fast as average learners
and their capacity to handle more complex and sophisticated material at
an earlier stage of
development, appropriate learner outcomes for them must also reflect these distinctions. While
the current state-developed learner outcomes for all students in
many instances are well
informed in respect to the state of the art in the specific disciplines of language
arts, math,
science, and social studies, they do not take into account these aforementioned characteristics of
exceptional learners that require higher expectation levels for performance
at every level of
schooling. Thus differentiated learner outcomes are necessary for high ability students in order
to be appropriately challenged in the curricular experiences of school.
Lastly, learner
outcomes have become necessary in order for teachers of the high ability students to have
sufficent guidance in planning daily curriculum experiences. Random activities that offer short
term appeal are poor fare for the capacities of high ability students.
Activities must be tied to
substantive outcomes; they meet have a purpose larger than themselves and teachers
must be
able to see and understand the relationship between a classroom activity and its related
outcome
in order to execute worthwhile learning. Thus learner outcomes
are necessary to guide effective
teaching and learning.
D(LA#3)CF
3
4
ability students differ from the generic outcomes
Flow do learner outcomes for high
3.
of the outcome, the
Typically, the major differences lie in the scope
developed for all learners?
it
and the implicit proficiencies necessary to fulfill
stage of development at which it is expected,
in the eighth grade
Let's examine a set of outcomes for all learners
at an exemplary level.
generic
outcomes integrally related to the
English curriculum from one state juxtaposed with
level.
for high ability students at that same grade
set but that were developed specifically
Gifted
Generic
Evaluates diverse materials
Comprehends a variety of materials
according to a set of criteria or standards
Creates a literary work in a self-selected
Is familiar with the structure:
form, using appropriate structural
elements of literature
elements
Analyzes and interprets key social,
Develops an understanding of the chronology
cultural, and economic ideas as
of American literature
expressed in the literature, art, and
music of America at 40 year intervals
that the examples on the right are
As we examine the pairs of learner outcomes, we can see
focus on specific higher level thinking tasks,
consistently more challenging, broader in scope,
underlying skills necessary to undertake necessary
imply that students have mastered the basic
what they read) and demand the development
tasks (e.g., that students can basically comprehend
of knowledge. These differences are typical in
of multiple perspectives within and across areas
the outcomes for high ability students.
the comparison of learner outcomes for all with
for high ability students be? Just as
What should the assessment of learner outcomes
4.
differentiated, so too the assessment approach
the outcomes for high ability learners need to be
and therefore different from how the more generic
must be coherent with the stated outcome
Incorporating the assessment of outcomes into the
outcome for all learners would be measured.
of assessment as authentic as
teaching-learning process is essential to making the process
students, assessment will involve
For many learner outcomes suitable for high ability
possible.
written essays, projects, or original creative work.
rating student products, whether they are
adapting existing ones is essential to the task
Thus developing appropriate scales for such use or
of creating matching assessments to outcomes.
is tremendously important that
It
How can teachers work with learner outcomes?
5.
work in the classroom, that they capture the
teachers see learner outcomes as central to their
the
In order for this insight to occur, teachers must have
heart of what students need to learn.
firsthand. One approach to engaging
opportunity to engage in the curriculum alignment process
activities that underlie each learner outcome to be
in this process is to have teachers develop
and discussed with other educators at
reached. These activities can be developed in teams
suboutcomes that will lead to
Another approach to alignment is to develop
appropriate times.
Again teacher teams are best utilized
satisfactory performance at the end of the academic year.
the learner outcome. A third approach to
for this task which involves a careful analysis of
materials that are used in the classroom.
curriculum alignment is to link outcomes to existing
that feed the outcome and explore supplemental
Teachers can review basal texts for lessons
All of these approaches to
student learning as specified.
resources that contribute directly to
singly and in combination.
curriculum alignment are helpful to try with teachers,
a
D(LArt3)CF
5
6.
What about alignment with individual state learner outcomes? There is a need to use the
state learner outcomes as the point of departure for creating tha differentiated high ability
learner outcomes, and to ensure that they are properly aligned. The example used in this paper
is one model for representing the relationships between the two sets of learner outcomes. Not
all generic learner outcomes would need to be altered or adapted for high ability students.
Individual districts would decide which outcomes already meet the criteria of acceptability for
the high ability student and create new ones only where they are needed.
This process of
curriculum alignment can also be effected at the individual learner level as well, thus allowing
special populations of high ability learners and the needs of individual students to prevail and
control the tailoring process for their curriculum.
Analysis of Current State Learning Objectives In Language Arts
As a part of the overall language arts project, a review of 24 state language arts curriculum
guides was conducted (Dunkleberger, 1991). She found in her review that only seven states
explicitly addressed the issue of high ability or gifted students within their guides. Others
implicitly assumed that the same curriculum outcomes could meet the needs of all at the same
levels of instruction. Her findings also noted that 52% of the state guides encouraged grade level
basal textbook use, 40% encouraged literature-based
instruction and 8% made no
recommendation. Even in states encouraging literature-based programs, basals were still used
as the predominant resource.
A second review was undertaken to ascertain the appropriateness of learner outcomes for high
ability learners in states that had adopted a common core of learning for all students.
This
review of existing state curriculum documents provided an important touchstone for ideas about
framework development. These documents were used 1) to determine important components of a
curriculum framework thai educators would expect to see, 2) to determine what reasonable
outcomes for average learners were at these stages of development in language arts, and 3) to
decide if additional features would be useful in framing out the parameters of language arts
curriculum for the teachers who would use it as a guide for unit development. Based on the
review of these guides, key elements were selected for representation in the curriculum
framework.
After a careful review and analysis of language arts outcomes at K-8 levels in selected states, it
is clear that there is a mismatch between the national emphasis on high level and measurable
standards and the work of states on curriculum guides. Some of the key areas of discrepancy
uncovered were:
State guides tended to be vague and unclear about student expectations. For example, at
grade five, "students will express ideas and feelings in writing." The emphasis is
clearly on tha process of writing, with no expectation related to the quality of writing.
2)
State guides tended to be so broad and general that assessment is difficult if not
impossible. The emphasis on expressive writing, for example, invites a teacher to
withhold evaluation commentary.
3)
State guides tended to focus unevenly across the language arts strands. For example, at
intermediate and middle school levels, language study and oral communication emphases
were very limited.
10
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